Surviving Dirty John

"Debra Newell's journey, her tale of survival and her openness in sharing her story, is awe-inspiring." —ERIC BANA

Debra Newell is nothing if not a survivor. By the time she met John Michael Meehan online, she had lived through a near-fatal childhood illness, an attempted rape in her twenties, the traumatic death of her sister at the hands of her brother-in-law, and multiple failed marriages. But despite those tragedies, she seemed to have it all: adoring children, a successful business, and a fabulous penthouse apartment.

Still, to her, there was something missing: the blinding, all-consuming love she first read about while passing time in her childhood sickbed. And she thought she found that love for real with John Meehan.

Debra's story is one of trauma, heartbreak, and deception. But it is also a relatable, inspirational, and hopeful story of forgiveness and, most of all, love: the boundaries children and parents cross to protect and save the people they love; the love one must find for oneself; and the ways the illusion of love can be used to manipulate and harm.